Dunning–Kruger Effect

Main Article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning_kruger_effect 

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to appreciate their mistakes.^[1] The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to the situation in which less competent people rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence. Competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. As Kruger and Dunning (1999) conclude, "Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others" (p. 1127). ^[2]

One has got to wonder how often this sort of thing appears in the audio-critic world.

I never give "subjective" reviews beyond whether i like or dislike something, not from modesty but from a general sense that by and large my views will be meaningless to others...

Sean Olive (Harman) tested different types of listeners in a blind discrimination test, overall audio magazine reviewers did only slightly better than students, worse than audio sales staff and far worse than formally trained listeners.

If we use the ability to detect gross inaccuracies in hifi kit as a measure of competence then SP reviewers fall down time and time again.

I never give "subjective" reviews beyond whether i like or dislike something, not from modesty but from a general sense that by and large my views will be meaningless to others...

Another way of putting it: it's easy for some inexperienced listeners to justify their evaluations by stating them loudly, and easier for experienced listeners to regard the matter with a more detached attitude. I'm not sure I agree, but it's the kind of thinking that does down easy.

Main Article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning_kruger_effect 

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to appreciate their mistakes.^[1] The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to the situation in which less competent people rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence. Competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. As Kruger and Dunning (1999) conclude, "Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others" (p. 1127). ^[2]

One has got to wonder how often this sort of thing appears in the audio-critic world.

The listeners that did best in Sean Olive's tests were competent i.e trained,  but more experienced listeners i.e Audio rag hacks were far worse.

Indeed. Nothing beats years of using equalizers and compressors, and editing / splicing music and narration, and singing or playing a musical instrument at a high level, to make you a skilled listener. That's very different from sitting around listening to your phonograph all day.

--Ethan